The Atherton City Council tentatively, if reluctantly, agreed to hike garbage collection fees at a meeting Wednesday night.

The council didn’t officially approve the new rates because its agenda failed to publicize the possibility of a vote. Before it can revisit the matter, it will have to provide residents with a 45-day notice and hold a public hearing on the proposed hikes.

As tentatively approved by Vice Mayor Bill Widmer and council members Jerry Carlson and Elizabeth Lewis, the monthly rates for containers of all sizes would increase by nearly 39 percent: $17.32 to $24.02 for 20-gallon cans; $27.69 to $38.46 for 32-gallon cans; $55.38 to $76.92 for 64-gallon cans; and $82.18 to $114.15 for 96-gallon cans.

Atherton’s percentage increases and rates would be the steepest of the 10 mid-Peninsula cities that belong to the South Bayside Waste Management Authority

Other member cities — such as East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, San Carlos, Belmont, San Mateo and Hillsborough — have also raised rates or are considering proposals. Redwood City grudgingly passed an 18 percent hike in January.

The fees Atherton council members tentatively agreed to Wednesday are, however, significantly less than those recommended by city staff. To cover an unpaid debt to the waste authority, staff had recommended increases of 63 to 98 percent.

Mayor Jim Dobbie and Council Member Kathy McKeithen pushed for the higher rates. Approving anything lower would be “digging a hole for ourselves,” Dobbie said.

“I think we’re making a big mistake,” he said.

The council last month delayed a vote to give staff time to investigate why Atherton was being asked to increase its rates so sharply and what could be done to possibly reduce them.

The rates are partly the product of new labor agreements reached in 2010 and a $10.8 million debt the waste authority owes to previous hauler Allied Waste, which was replaced on Jan. 1 by Recology. In addition, rates for each city vary based on the amount and type of waste collected, previous rates, landscape and distance between pickups, among other factors.

The Menlo Park City Council also approved a lower-than-proposed 7 percent rate hike at its meeting Tuesday rather than city staff’s recommendation of 15 percent. As in Atherton, the 7 percent increase won’t cover Menlo Park’s full debt.

Vice Mayor Kirsten Keith asked staff to send a letter to other members of the waste authority calling for a discussion about the Allied Waste debt and fees being charged by Recology.

“This feels like a fleecing,” Keith said.

Council Member Peter Ohtaki said asking residents to shoulder a 15 percent increase after an 18 percent hike last year would be “just rubbing salt into a wound.”